OCR

Shari
TI-IE
Van Vocht
(An t.Sean Bhean Bhocht).
VOL. 11.-sNo. 11.
Roilig Na Riogh.
W'l1trre tl1e plain of Comain >,tl'EtL'l1C< to the :lll1Il‘L‘
Slopes Cr1111cl1;111 to tl1e sky;
Antl tl1e warrio1‘s of Olnernaeht, mere battle xesturetl,
In solemn silence lie.
There, beneath a nameless pillar, >lUIlll>Cl'$ llatllh
Who the blazing sunburst hore
Triumphant to the marcltlands of Irnperial Cms;11',
And anear him Ugaine Mor.
Tliere they l-’li(l to rest the three D;1na.111 l11‘otl1t‘r.<,
Coill and Cecht and Greine wise;
And their queens beside them, 'l"0tll1la fair and llariba cn11>ta:1t.
And Eire of the wistful eyes.
There Dagda of 111: songs and Lugh Lrun ftltltl
Ami Mitlir, Danaans all.
VVith n‘.2111y :1 lusty champion of th et'la11s of Miletlh
Sleep togetlier-4‘-ael and Call.
There Maeve, whose Conquering Chariots shook the lNl.1llLl
Antl tlimrnetl Crach Ruatlhls star,
From conflict rests hesitle l1er fray-111;1i11taining h1'otl1c1‘<,
Lnthar and ]31'cas antl Nar.
Oh! couritlcss are the so11s of Conn who .sl11111l-er
‘Neath the grass-growri burial rings,
And the Cairns, crushed to powtler hy the feet of Ages,
On Cruaelian of the Kings!
But no story of tl1eir daring stirs their people
Nor souruls to wake thorn throng,
Save the lowing of the cattle from th: fertile slrallows
Or the river‘s tlrowsy song.
For the olden rnemorics fast are going from us-
Ol1! that some fond hantl would come
And bind them iii a garlrmd, ere the press it h.1rtle11s
And the past grows cold and (lurnl).
CR.-'11nH.u1<E, Celtic Lit. Sou, ].)tll)llIl.
ABOUT six miles from Boyle, and close to the tow11 of
lrllphin, is Crogliari Hill. It is the site of the t‘elel>1‘;1te1l
Rath Cruaeliam, the resiulenre of the Kiiigs of ('o1111a11gl11,
and Capital of the p1‘ov1'i11ee. It has l)t‘t‘I1 t‘t'lL‘l)l1lit‘1l from
the earliest ages anal nearly a tl1o11s;1n1l yt-ars l1efo1'e !lW
Christian era. Muitnne, Moiiarcli of Irt-l;1111l ;111<l son of
Heremon, died there. On it was the l>lll'lLll'1)l.'lt‘L' of the
l’a.g:1t1 Kings of Co1111a11gl1t, t‘;tllL'Il “Roilig 11.1 ltiwbvl1," or
the Cemetery of the Kings. Mari)" 11101111-ls Lllltl bclttlltlle
ral remains yet exist, notably a 1'etl-s.1111lsto11e pillar, “lll(‘ll
tratlition records as the gravcstoire t1fl)all1i, the last king of
the Pagan Eiriann. A poem by Torna ElgU.1b, one of the
BELFAST, 1s1' NOVEMBER, 1897.
1
6
PRICE Tworinucn.
most fanroris of the olrl l1;11uls. gixes an :11w11111t of all the
l10tLll)lllllL'S l111rietltl1e1't-, an-l 1111 it are tn11111l1-1l tilt’ full<111i11g
veltses. Ol11e111a1‘l1t is one of thv 1111 ml‘. 11.11111-< 11f (31114
narrght, a111l all the pe1'sw11.1gt's 111v111i1>11e1l ltL‘lHll 1i5111'1- 11111-
n1i11e11tly i11 the early l1istt11‘1' of lrela111l. Sec t)‘t‘11111.
0‘Co1111:1llo11‘s “ l"1111r Nl;1ste1‘s," ett‘.
The Coming of Maire Ban.
(ALL Sorts‘ X10111.)
l<]RMH'l‘ l,,Al,.l,Y swept 11p thw l1e.'11'tl1 after whisk
ha<l fallen, anrl set his tlvatl wife's (‘hair in its all
]tlZt(‘C hy the fire. “ She will he glml 1 1 .-we it there
when she eoriies,” he thought; “ she alw.'11s lil<wl that wart:
corner, poor Maire.” Ile sigherl l1t';11'il1‘ 11>‘ he l0.1l((‘1l 1'oLi1‘.l
the lonely kitchen, anal his eyes fell upon :1 “lVl(t'l' 1:1';11lle
pE'I‘(‘ll6(l 011 top of .1 high Cl1(‘St. that alniost tHt1Cl)(‘tl Lhe
rafters, where it rocketl geritly l1;1<:k11’.11‘1ls 111111 f<>1‘11'.1r1l.< 11'hen
the quick, sharp gusts of wintl ruflletl the that1‘h.
“The Cliiltl, toot-(lotl help nswit 11e1'e1' hail litl'L‘-'lfll'“li
cannot come with her. I harnlly saw its little face that C131‘,
for how COtlltl l look at it with my Maire nlrifting from 1110,
and my arms that are strong enougli for other work." he
threw them out i11 :1 .st'1'css of l'lilL‘l' i111p:1tt-11<‘1-, “ to-1 weak
to hold her back. My rlarling, ’tis the hlavk w11rl1l surely
since you went away and left me here liehinrl i11 so1'row."
He bent to pile niore turf o11 the tin‘. stopping on-fe or
twice to listen to the clanionr of the storrn otrtsitle. Then
he crossed himself afrigliterlly antl (‘I'Ollt‘l1C1l (lUW1l on the
liezlrth, 11 (lt,‘SU1lillC f1g111't‘. with his l-ack lL‘."tllC‘1l llgllllbi the
The
light fell full on his fare, wliose Slrttllbt‘ 1o11th glmnicd
Arirl, as he
v1hitew;1she1l wall :111<l his feet gatliererl 1111-ler him.
strangely through the i11te11se11c>s of its :1g1111y.
t‘owerctl there, l(t‘t‘]>lllg “'.lll‘l] on All So11ls' Night for his
year‘-tle;11l wife, Dcrrnot l.all1' >'t‘<‘mt'1l to we the shine of her
e1t'.s in the lt‘Il[tlllg tlarntzs, .1111l his llt‘.ll'l fnvrgwt its pain
for a nionient while it went 11'a111le1'i11g hat]; to the joy-ti111E‘
of the past lit-fort: 111‘ lt'.ll'llL‘1l i11 lll> 1111111‘ of trial that t'Yt‘ll
Lore it.wlf1‘.11111<1t p1't'1.1il ;l‘C;.1l11>t L)L‘.ltl).
H<111‘t'111'io11sly t‘lt-.11'tl1:1st- <i.11s inst‘ (1111 of the eleeps of
11 t-111o1',1‘1la1's when M.1i1'v. his little pl.111n.1tc. 11.15 his all
i11 all; his ro111p.111io11 11l1c11 lie 110111 infill to hertl the slieep